Festooning machine



Aug; 11. 1925, l 1,549,733

- F'. A. BROWNE FESTOONING MACHINE Filed Nov. l1, 1922 l E @o E N Y VT WlTNEssEs; INVENTOR- Patented Aug. 11, 1925.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICEn FRANK A. BROWNE, OF WAYNE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 THE BARBER AS- PHALT COMPANY, QF FHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORIPORATIO'N OF VIR- GINIA.

FESTOONING MACHINE.

Application filed November 11, 1922. Serial No. 600,262.

To aZZ whom z'z? may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. BnowNn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vayne, county of Delaware, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Festooning Machines, whereof the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to the manufacture or treatment of fabrics and web materials.I and its object it to provide an improved festooning device for the purpose of draping the material into contiguous loops which are progressed and the material subjected in the interim to any desired treatment, the essential feature of the present invention consisting in the provision of means for forming a maximum number of loops within given horizontal connes so as to economize in the utilization of floor space. The above object is accomplished in accordance with the present invention by progressing the looped web in a direction which is inclined with respect to the horizontal, while the material is suspended perpendicularly, and in order that the height of the machine may not be unduly prolonged I prefer to direct the loop supporting means in a sinuous path so as to obtain the desired result while at the same time progressing the material in a general horizontal direction.

These and other objects are accomplished by what I now regard as the preferred embodiment of my invention from among other possible forms and arrangements embraced within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. I is a view in side elevation of a festooning machine constructed in accordance with my invention and illustrating the same somewhat diagrammatically.

Fig. II is a view of the machine in end elevation.

With reference to the drawings 10-10 indicate a pair of vertical frame members of standardized material or otherwise constructed in any manner found suitable or convenient and disposed in horizontal spaced relation to form an enclosure wit-hin which to support and contain the festooning arrangement. The latter consists of two pairs of upper sprocket wheels 11 and 12 located at the entering and leaving sides of the machine, and vertically aligned pairs of lower sprocket wheels 13 and 14 located respectively beneath the sprocket wheels 11 and 12, said pairs of sprockets constituting a rectangular arrangementV over which a pair of endless chains 15 are passed to traverse rectangular paths which are continuous throughout. i

Located adjacenftl the sprockets 11 are a pair of sprocket wheels 16 in transverse alignment, and located between said sprockets 16 and the aforesaid sprockets 12 are other pairs of transversely aligned sprocket wheels 17, arranged in alternate varying elevations so as to cause the chains passing between the sprockets 16 and l2 to traverse a sinuous path. The chains 15 are for the purpose of supporting festooning bars 18 in horizontal positions and uniformly spaced relation, said festoon bars being fastened to the chains by means of attachment links in the chains in a manner well known in the art.

In order that the space within the machine may be free to permit passage of the loops I prefer to mount the sprocket wheels, particularly the upper sprocket wheels upon shafts 19 which are supported upon lateral extensions l2() of the frame members 10, each shaft being preferably provided with a two bearing support to insure stability and maintenance of the relation of the several parts, the bearings being indicated at 2l.

Any suitable means found convenient may be utilized to cause motion of the chains carrying the Vfestooning bars and hence I have not disclosed any specific driving means.

The material is fed between rollers 22 constituting part of a feeding means indicated generally at 23 and located at the upper portion of the machine for the purpose of directing the web material downwardly at a point between the sprockets 11 and 16, so that the act of progressing the festooning bars will cause the latter to successively engage the web. By feeding the web either constantly or intermittently the latter is caused to drape between adjacent pairs of festoon bars to form the loops 24 through the medium of a pivoted draping element 16 in a manner well known in the art. It will be noted that as the festoon bars traverse an inclined path between the sprocket-s 1G and 17 or between an adjacent pair of sprockets 17 the plies of material forming the loops are brought closely t0- gether.

In this manner a number ot loops may be Yformed and reta...ed within a given horizontal distance than in machines heretofore employed in Which the itestoon bars were traversed in a horizontal plane. It will be apparent that this result is obtained by reason ofthe inclined direction ot travel ot' the loop supportingV bar and hence compactness may be a'cctni'iplished by continuin the course ot travel in an inclined unbroken path,` but in order that the material may be progressed at the same time in a substantially horizontal direction and the height ot the machine maintained within bounds I prefer to divert the course ci travel ot the bars to describea substantially sinuous path which accomplishes thel same results. It Will be noted that in passing' around the sprockets the itestoon bars cause the Loops to alternately Widen and narrznv, While the pitch or spacing' ot the bars remains invariab The movement o't the plies thus induced als acts to cause aircirculation around the material to hasten drying'. reason ot the rotating movement ot the testcon bars caused by their moven'ient in a circuitous path the inaterial gradually creeps around so as to preH vent the formation of a permanent curvature therein byv reason ot its tieXure around the bars. v

Having thus described my invention, I claim: Y

l. In a t'estooning` machine, means traversing a varyingly inclined path 'for suspending material in testoons ,to compact the number of the ply intervals Within given contines.

2. In a testooning machine, means for draping and progressing material in testoons, and means tort irecting travel ot the aforesaid means along a path varyingly inclined with respect to the horizontal to compact the Width ot' the ply intervals Within given contines.

3. In a testooninp,` machine, means tor draping material including' testoon bars, and means tor progressing the festoon bars along a path inclined with respect to the horizontal whereby the width and interval ot the material loops are constantly varying.

e. In a estooning` machine, means for draping and supporting` the material, and means Jfor progressing lthe supporting means through the machine along a path alternatingly inclined With respect to the horizontal to compact the Width of the ply intervals.

5. In a testooning machine, means tor draping and supporting` the material, and means tor progressing` the supporting means along,` a sinuous path to continuously vary the Width o'f the ply intervals during' progression along said sinuous path.

G. In a .t'estooningl machine, endless eleients, estoon bars supported thereby, and

means over which the dless elements are trained With varying elevation to direct travel of the bars along; a path inclined with respect to the horizontal.

7. In a i'estooninp,` machine, endre, ments, testoon bars supported thereby, sprocket Wheels around which the chains are trained, said sprockets being so arr. ,fred as to direct the chains to traverse a sinuous path, and means tor draping` the n'iaterial over the testoon bars whereby the n'iaterial loops and plies are closely spaced.

8. In a testooning machine, endless elements, festoon bars supported thereby, sprocket Wheels over which the chains are trained to cause the latter to traverse a circuitous path when driven, and other sprocket wheels over Which the chains are passed causing the latter to traverse a sinuous path, and means for draping` the material over the bars.

9. In a testooning machine, means trav ersing an undulatory path tor suspending` material inloops to vary the ply intervals while passingl through the machine.

10.111 a testo'oning machine, means adapted to traverse a sinuous path for suspending` material in loops whereby said material loops are caused to alternately approach and recede from one another during progression through the machine.

1l. In a festooning` machine, the combination of loop carrying bars having uniform spaced relation, and means whereby said bars are caused to traverse an undulatory path through the machine to effect alternate approach and recession ot the material loops during progression through the machine.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, `rpennsyl- Vania, this 9th day of November, 1922.

FRANK A. BRQVVNE.

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